Chambliss protects Big Ag from the USDA
April 3rd, 2009 by Gloria Love in News
Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss
At the Senate Ag Committee meeting on Wednesday, Saxby Chambliss expressed some serious concerns over Department of Agriculture nominee Kathleen Merrigan: She has organic leanings.
According to La Vita Locavore, Chambliss, annoyed at Merrigan’s support of the Conservation Stewardship Program (which rewards producers for environmentally-responsible land use), was moved to drop some knowledge on Merrigan:
I do have some concerns that in promoting your passion for organic and sustainable agriculture that you tear down other types of agriculture and those with another point of view….
I would simply remind you that farmers and ranchers are the biggest environmentalists we have in America because they make their living off the land…I think it’s your lack in balance that concerns me the most… There is no logic to believing that any one method of production is any better than another….
[There are] as many arguments as there are for organic agriculture, there are just as many arguments against it… At the USDA your job isn’t to focus on one type of agriculture at the expense of the others.
Afterwards, it was decided to pass the nominees on to the Senate without a committee vote. Oh well, at least Saxy got to make a purty speech for his campaign contributors.
(Photo by Joeff Davis)
April 3rd, 2009 at 7:55 pm
OMG……he actually does not see a differance in the two styles of agriculture.
April 3rd, 2009 at 10:51 pm
The problem with everything is that the specifics that are required for labeling anything organic is very vague. There are no true paramneters and even some organic farmed food is still processed with chemicals read the labels on your organic foods at the grocery store and you will see high sugar contents and things that will suprise you.